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Illustrative mangosteen fruit and pericarp

Natural Home Cures · Mangosteen science

Sodium
& Mangosteen

An essential electrolyte.
A story of balance.

Fluid balanceElectrical signals
Explore the science ↓
Editorial photograph-style illustration of recognizable salt crystals and a glass of water
An everyday connectionSodium, salt
and fluid balance.Table salt contains sodium and chloride.

Sodium is essential, but many diets supply more than the body needs. Understanding its role in cells, its relationship with salt and what labels measure helps put the mangosteen findings in perspective.

Na+Sodium carries a positive
electrical charge in body fluids.

01 · Begin with the essentials

Why the Body Needs Sodium

Sodium is an electrolyte, a mineral that carries an electrical charge in body fluids. It helps maintain fluid balance and normal nerve and muscle function.(1)

02 · A useful distinction

Sodium Is a Mineral.
Salt Is a Compound.

Table salt is sodium chloride. The sodium amount on a nutrition label is not the total salt weight.(5)

03 · Across the cell membrane

Why Cells Keep Sodium Mostly Outside

Cells keep a higher concentration of sodium outside and potassium inside. Proteins in the cell membrane maintain this difference, which is needed for electrical signaling.(1)

04 · What does sodium do?

Signals. Movement.
Fluid Balance.

Conceptual neuron illustrating nerve transmission

Helps transmit signals.

When sodium moves across a nerve cell’s membrane, it helps create the electrical change that carries a message.(1)

Conceptual muscle anatomy illustrating muscle function

Supports muscle function.

Muscles rely on coordinated electrolyte movements. Sodium works alongside potassium and calcium.(1)

The body also uses sodium to regulate fluid outside cells. Adequate intake is essential; excess intake is a separate issue.

Nutrition in focus

Lower Sodium, Measured in a Human Trial

The DASH-Sodium trial studied 412 adults eating either a control diet or a DASH diet, an eating pattern designed to support healthy blood pressure. Participants consumed different sodium levels. Reducing sodium lowered blood pressure, with additional benefit when combined with the DASH diet.(8)

The practical lesson is to moderate excess sodium, particularly from heavily salted and processed foods, while meeting the body’s normal needs.

Food labels help show how sodium adds up across a day.

05 · Everyday sources · compare the label

Sodium Can Add Up
Across Meals.

Breads, soups, cheese and prepared poultry dishes contribute sodium in everyday diets. Recipes and brands vary.(6)

Illustrative sliced bread loaf and roll

Breads & rolls

Compare sodium per serving

Illustrative bowl of vegetable soup

Soups

Preparation changes the amount

Illustrative cheese and milk

Cheese

Amounts differ by variety

Illustrative prepared grilled chicken

Prepared poultry

Seasonings and recipes matter

The label’s sodium number includes naturally occurring and added sodium. Compare equivalent serving sizes.(5)

Plants also have to manage sodium, especially when exposed to salty conditions.

06 · The living plant manages ions, too

How Plants Manage Excess Sodium

Too much sodium can interfere with water uptake and the balance of other minerals in plants. Plants can limit damage by controlling where sodium moves and storing some away from sensitive cell processes.(4)

WaterExcess salinity creates osmotic stress.
IonsSodium can disturb potassium balance.
TransportPlants regulate sodium movement and storage.
General plant physiology, not a mangosteen-specific tolerance experiment.

Researchers have also measured sodium in mangosteen pericarp.

07 · Measured in pericarp

2.58mg per 100 g of dried pericarp

Sodium Measured in Mangosteen Pericarp

A dried pericarp sample

A 2014 Garcinia analysis used dried mangosteen pericarp and reported 2.58 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams.(3)

Reading the measurement

The reported figure describes the sodium measured in that dried pericarp research material.

Natural Home Cures mangosteen capsule bottle and fresh fruit on sunlit limestone

08 · From fruit to product

Whole Mangosteen Pericarp, Freeze-Dried

Our Freeze-Dried Rich Pericarp Mangosteen Capsules begin with the thick outer pericarp of Garcinia mangostana.

After harvest, the pericarp is freeze-dried and prepared for capsules as a whole botanical ingredient.

Explore our mangosteen →
The research behind this article

Source References

8 sources Show referencesHide references
  1. 01
    Nutrition referenceDietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium

    National Academies · 2019

    Full citation

    National Academies (2019). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium.

    View source
  2. 02
    Mangosteen reviewPhytochemicals and Bioactive Properties of Mangosteen

    Yan et al. · Food Bioscience 79:108569 · 2026

    Full citation

    Yan et al. (2026). Phytochemicals and Bioactive Properties of Mangosteen: A Comprehensive Review. Food Bioscience 79:108569.

    View source
  3. 03
    Fruit composition studyNutrient and Medicinal Compositions of Selected Indian Garcinia Species

    Parthsarathy & Nandakishore · Current Bioactive Compounds 10:55–61 · 2014

    Full citation

    Parthsarathy and Nandakishore (2014). A Study on Nutrient and Medicinal Compositions of Selected Indian Garcinia Species. Current Bioactive Compounds 10:55–61.

    View source
  4. 04
    Plant physiology reviewMechanisms of Salinity Tolerance

    Munns & Tester · Annual Review of Plant Biology 59:651–681 · 2008

    Full citation

    Munns and Tester (2008). Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance. Annual Review of Plant Biology 59:651–681.

    View source
  5. 05
    Food labelingSodium on the Nutrition Facts Label

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration

    Full citation

    FDA. Sodium on the Nutrition Facts Label.

    View source
  6. 06
    Food intake studyTop Food Contributors of Sodium Intake in US Children and Adults

    CDC · NHANES August 2021–August 2023 · 2026

    Full citation

    CDC (2026). Top Food Contributors of Sodium Intake in US Children and Adults, NHANES August 2021–August 2023.

    View source
  7. 07
    Nutrition researchMedlinePlus: Sodium
    View source ↗
  8. 08
    Nutrition researchSacks et al. (2001): Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet
    View source ↗